Joe Flacco won’t be anxiously awaiting the pick when the Cleveland Browns are on the clock during the NFL Draft this week.
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The 40-year-old Flacco is entering his 18th NFL season and is no longer concerned about what unfolds in the draft.
“I’m obviously not that interested. I won’t be paying attention. I’ll probably get updates from friends or family on who we picked,” Flacco said on Wednesday. “I haven’t paid attention to the draft in the last probably 14 or 15 years. I’ll wait to see who it is and say what’s up to them in the locker room when they show up in Cleveland.”
The Browns reunited with Flacco earlier this month, bringing him in to compete for a starting role. In 2023, Flacco delivered an unexpected resurgence with Cleveland, stepping in after Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending injury. Signed in late November, Flacco wasted little time making an impact, guiding the Browns to a 4–1 record in his starts and helping clinch a playoff berth.
Flacco topped 300 passing yards in four straight games and became the first quarterback in league history to open his tenure with a new team by throwing for at least 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in five consecutive outings. His late-season heroics earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Joe Flacco Not Interested in Being ‘Mentor’ to Young QB
Flacco has been in a lot of quarterback rooms during his career and has experience working alongside young quarterbacks. After 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, he lost his job to future MVP Lamar Jackson in 2018, who was a rookie at the time.
Flacco played with the Indianapolis Colts last season and was initially signed to backup former first-round pick Anthony Richardson. Flacco ended up getting the starting nod for six games.
The Browns are likely to add a rookie passer and Flacco did not sound very excited about taking on a “mentor” role.
“Listen, it’s such a weird question to ask, and you kind of get in trouble no matter how you answer it. I don’t think anybody ever really views themselves as a mentor, solely as a mentor. We all want to go out there and compete and play,” Flacco said. “I think when you’re just have a competitive, good quarterback room, you don’t really have to worry about being a mentor. You just kind of do you. You compete and you have fun and conversations come up and everybody learns from it.”
Browns Set to Have Open QB Competition
Flacco said he was not promised the starting role when he decided to sign with Cleveland. As it stands, he’ll compete with Kenny Pickett, who the Browns traded for in March. Deshaun Watson is recovering from an Achilles injury and isn’t expected to factor into the starting quarterback conversation at any point next season.
“Kevin (Stefanski) kind of just said, listen, we have no preconceived notions of who’s going to be the starting quarterback. We want to put together a good room and have good competition and see what comes of it,” Flacco said. “I’m just excited to be here and, you know, the possibility, the opportunity.”
The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick. Cleveland might not address the quarterback position with their first selection but will likely take one later on. Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders have all been mentioned as potential options.
